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No.166 Sqn RAF |
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Name : No.166 Sqn RAF Founded : 13th June 1918 Disbanded : 18th November 1945 Country : UK Fate : Disbanded 18th November 1945 More Details : Tenacity |
Known Service Details : | |||||||
Pilot or Aircrew | Rank | Start of Service | End of Service | Known Dates | Aircraft | Airframes | Notes |
Flight Lieutenant | 16th December 1943 | unknown | |||||
unknown | unknown | ||||||
| Pilots and Aircrew for : No.166 Sqn RAF | ||
| A list of all aircrew from our database who are associated with this squadron. A profile page is available by clicking their name. | ||
| Name | Info | |
| Arnfield, Stanley John Click the name above to see a profile of Arnfield, Stanley John
| Arnfield, Stanley John Sergeant S.J. Arnfield Stanley John Arnfield was born on 3rd October 1913 and was initially educated in India before going to the Royal Masonic School at Bushey, Hertfordshire. He joined the RAF as an aircraft apprentice in January 1930, passing out as a Fitter of Aero Engines in December 1932. By 1933 he was based at Abingdon with the rank of Leading Aircraftman, he was then posted to Quetta in India in 1935 where he helped with the earthquake tragedy that struck Baluchistan at that time. (It is estimated that between 30-60,000 people died when a force of 7.7 Mw was recorded). During 1936-37 he was involved in assorted supply drops and minor bombing. In June 1938 he began flying Westland Wallace aircraft and carried out a variety of bombing exercises. He had his first flight in a Hurricane on 30th September 1938 and then transferred to 610 Squadron shortly afterwards, flying Spitfires. During 1939 he trained intensively on this aircraft. On the 26th January 1940 flying Spitfire L1006 force landed in the region of ten to twelve miles north of Driffield after he became lost and eventually ran low on fuel. The aircraft was repaired but may infact have landed with the wheels down and have suffered very little damage. Arnfield returned to his home airfield by train. On 31st May, patrolling over Dunkirk, he claimed a Me109 destroyed. This was followed On 12/06/40 a He111 of Wekusta 51 flown by Oblt Gerd Nissen, the Staffelkapitän, was shot down off Margate. Attacked at 0700 by two Spitfires from 610 Squadron flown by Flt Lt John Ellis (P9451/DW-M) and Sgt Stanley Arnfield (P9495 DW-K) the crippled reconnaissance machine then ditched a few miles offshore. Three of the crew managed to get out before the aircraft sank but two others – Uffz Franz Bolinski and Uffz Willi Stiegelmeier – were lost. However, one of the survivors – Reg. Rat. Dr Hermann Freudenberg, a weather specialist – drowned before help arrived in the form of the fishing boat Golden Spray. Arnfield flew continuously through June and July and was shot up by Me109’s in Spitfire R6621 over Dover on 12th August. The aircraft was written off after he brought it back. In another aircraft he claimed Me109’s destroyed on 15th and 16th August followed by a further two on the 18th. Sgt. Arnfield’s luck ran out six days later on the 24th when in combat over Hawkinge in Spitfire R6686. He was shot down by Hptm. Foezoe of 4/JG51 but managed to bale out, his aircraft crashing in flames at Hammil, near Eastry. He broke his ankle on landing and was admitted to Victoria Hospital at Deal. He was recovering for some time and this may explain the failure to award him a DFM, which normally would have been the due of someone with six confirmed victories. By December 1940 Arnfield had returned to flying duties, serving as an instructor with the Commonwealth Flying Training Scheme in Canada. He had been commissioned as a Pilot Officer on 26th July 1941 and promoted to Flying Officer exactly a year later. In September 1943 Arnfield, now a Flight Lieutenant, made the transition to bombers, training on Wellingtons and progressing to operations on Lancasters with 166 Squadron. His first sortie was Berlin on 16th December 1943, followed by many others including Stettin, Brunswick, Leipzig and Stuttgart. His last sortie was on 22nd April 1944 to Dusseldorf LAC Arnfield returned to the UK in the summer of 1937 and applied for piot training. He was accepted and commenced flight training at the Perth Flying Club, flying in Tiger Moths. By November 1937 Sgt. Arnfield had transferred to 7 FTS at Peterborough. Arnfield returned to training duties and continued in this role until the end of the war. He retired from the RAF on 12th February 1951 as a Flight Lieutenant in the Secretarial Branch, retaining the rank of Squadron Leader. He died of a heart attack on 24th September 1954. | |
| Atkins, John Click the name above to see a profile of Atkins, John | Atkins, John He was an Air Gunner and then Navigator on Lancasters initially joining 166 Sqn and later 7 Sqn. After his aircraft was badly damaged he was forced to bale out over the Dutch coast in October 1944 and spent time in Stalag Luft VII & IIIA. | |
| Bell, William Click the name above to see a profile of Bell, William | Bell, William Bill joined the RAF in 1941 and was posted to 103 Squadron at RAF Elsham Wolds as a Navigator on Halifaxes. He was later transferred to 166 Squadron, and was on his 20th operation, flying to Berlin in November 1943 when he was shot down and ended up as a PoW in Stalag Luft IVb. He escaped on three separate occasions but was recaptured every time - the war finished just before his fourth attempt! | |
| Noye, Rupert Click the name above to see a profile of Noye, Rupert | Noye, Rupert 72 ops as Rear Gunner on Wellingtons then Lancasters of 166 Squadron. | |
| Strong, David M. Click the name above to see a profile of Strong, David M.
| Strong, David M. Undergoing pilot training in 1936 David Strong joined Bomber Squadron in 1937. When war broke out he was flying Whitleys with 166 Sqn then went to 104 Sqn flying Wellingtons. In 1941 whilst returning from a bombing raid over Italy his aircraft was struck by lightning and he pulled out at 200 feet over the North Sea. Unable to continue he was forced to ditch and all the crew survived but were captured and sent to Stalag Luft III. After the war he remained in the RAF and after a distinguished career including Senior ASO, RAF Germany and Officer Commanding RAF Halton he retired in 1966. Sadly, David Strong passed away on 21st August 2011. | |
| Taylor, Larry Click the name above to see a profile of Taylor, Larry | Taylor, Larry Joined the RAF in 1937 as a Flight Engineer took part in the very first raid of the war dropping leaflets with 166 Squadron. He went on to fly Whitleys, Hampdens and Halifaxes, completing 51 Operations for 405/102/78 Squadrons. | |
Died : 24 / 9 / 1954Historical Notes :
21-08-1940 - Damaged by Do17 near Downham Market. Pilot Officer Brown ok.
21-08-1940 - Damaged by Do17 near Downham Market. Pilot Officer Brown ok.
Historical Notes :
30-08-1940 - Shot down and force landed near Bekesbourne. Pilot Officer Assheton ok.
30-08-1940 - Shot down and force landed near Bekesbourne. Pilot Officer Assheton ok.
Known Individual Aircraft of No.166 Sqn RAF : | ||||||||
Type | Serial | Codes | First Flew | Squadron History | Aircrew History | History Notes | Engine | Factory |
- | no information | no information | Merlin 45 | Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory | ||||
- | no information | Merlin XII | Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory | |||||
12/06/1940 | Merlin III | Eastleigh | ||||||
- | no information | no information | Merlin 266 | |||||
| Aircraft for : No.166 Sqn RAF | ||
| A list of all aircraft associated with No.166 Sqn RAF. A profile page including a list of all art prints for the aircraft is available by clicking the aircraft name. | ||
| Aircraft | Info | |
Heyford
Manufacturer : Handley Page | Heyford Full profile not yet available. | |
Lancaster 
Manufacturer : Avro Production Began : 1942 Retired : 1963 Number Built : 7377 | Lancaster The Avro Lancaster arose from the avro Manchester and the first prototype Lancaster was a converted Manchester with four engines. The Lancaster was first flown in January 1941, and started operations in March 1942. By March 1945 The Royal Air Force had 56 squadrons of Lancasters with the first squadron equipped being No.44 Squadron. During World War Two the Avro Lancaster flew 156,000 sorties and dropped 618,378 tonnes of bombs between 1942 and 1945. Lancaster Bomberss took part in the devastating round-the-clock raids on Hamburg during Air Marshall Harris' Operation Gomorrah in July 1943. Just 35 Lancasters completed more than 100 successful operations each, and 3,249 were lost in action. The most successful survivor completed 139 operations, and the Lancaster was scrapped after the war in 1947. A few Lancasters were converted into tankers and the two tanker aircraft were joined by another converted Lancaster and were used in the Berlin Airlift, achieving 757 tanker sorties. A famous Lancaster bombing raid was the 1943 mission, codenamed Operation Chastise, to destroy the dams of the Ruhr Valley. The operation was carried out by 617 Squadron in modified Mk IIIs carrying special drum shaped bouncing bombs designed by Barnes Wallis. Also famous was a series of Lancaster attacks using Tallboy bombs against the German battleship Tirpitz, which first disabled and later sank the ship. The Lancaster bomber was the basis of the new Avro Lincoln bomber, initially known as the Lancaster IV and Lancaster V. (Becoming Lincoln B1 and B2 respectively.) Their Lancastrian airliner was also based on the Lancaster but was not very successful. Other developments were the Avro York and the successful Shackleton which continued in airborne early warning service up to 1992. | |
Wellington 
Manufacturer : Vickers Production Began : 1938 Retired : 1953 | Wellington The Vickers Wellington was a Bomber aircraft and also used for maritime reconnaissance. and had a normal crew of six except in the MKV and VI where a crew of three was used. Maximum speed was 235 mph (MK1c) 255 mph (MK III, X) and 299 mph (MK IIII), normal operating range of 1805 miles (except MK III which was 1470miles) The Wellington or Wimpy as it was known, was the major bomber of the Royal Air Force between 1939 and 1943. The Royal Air Force received its first Wellingtons in October 1938 to 99 squadron. and by the outbreak of World war two there were 6 squadrons equipped with the Vickers Wellington. Due to heavy losses on daylight raids, the Wellington became a night bomber and from 1940 was also used as a long range bomber in North Africa. and in 1942 also became a long range bomber for the royal Air Force in India. It was well used by Coastal Command as a U-Boat Hunter. The Wellington remained in service with the Royal Air Force until 1953. Probably due to its versatile use, The aircraft was also used for experimental work including the fitting of a pressure cabin for High altitude tests. The Vickers Wellington could sustain major damage and still fly, probably due to its construction of its geodesic structure and practical application of geodesic lines. Designed by Sir Barnes Wallis | |
Whitley 
Manufacturer : Armstrong Whitworth Production Began : 1937 Retired : 1942 Number Built : 1814 | Whitley The Whitley first entered service with No. 10 Squadron in March 1937, replacing Handley Page Heyford biplanes. By the outbreak of the Second World War, seven squadrons were operational, the majority flying Whitley IIIs or IVs, as the Whitley V had only just been introduced. ] With the Handley Page Hampden and the Vickers Wellington, Whitleys bore the brunt of the early fighting and saw action on the first night of the war, when they dropped propaganda leaflets over Germany.[8] Among the many aircrew who flew the Whitley in operations over Germany, was Leonard Cheshire who spent most of his first three years at war flying them. Unlike the Hampden and Wellington—which met specification B.9/32 for a day bomber—the Whitley was always intended for night operations and escaped the early heavy losses received in daylight raids on German shipping, early in the war. With Hampdens, the Whitley made the first bombing raid on German soil on the night of 19/20 March 1940, attacking the Hornum seaplane base on the Island of Sylt. Whitleys also carried out Operation Haddock the first RAF raid on Italy, on the night of 11/12 June 1940. As the oldest of the three bombers, the Whitley was obsolete by the start of the war, yet over 1,000 more were produced before a suitable replacement was found. A particular problem with the twin-engine aircraft, was that it could not maintain altitude on one engine. Whitleys flew 8,996 operations with RAF Bomber Command, dropped 9,845 tons (8,931 tonnes) of bombs and 269 aircraft were lost in action. From April 1942, the Whitley was retired as first-line bomber. It continued to serve as glider tug, paratroop trainer, transport, or radio countermeasures aircraft. It also played an important role in Coastal Command . No. 100 Group RAF used Whitleys to carry airborne radar and electronic counter-measures. In February 1942, Whitleys carried the paratroops who participated in the Bruneval raid (Operation Biting) in which German radar technology was captured from a German base on the coast of France. The British Overseas Airways Corporation operated 15 Whitley Mk Vs converted into freighters in 1942. Running night supply flights from Gibraltar to Malta, they took seven hours to reach the island, often landing during air attacks. They used large quantities of fuel for a small payload and were replaced in August 1942 by the Lockheed Hudson, with the 14 survivors being returned to the Royal Air Force. Long-range Coastal Command Mk VII variants, were among the last in front-line service, with the first kill attributed to them being the sinking of the German submarine U-751, on 17 July 1942, in combination with a Lancaster heavy bomber. | |
Last edited : 18:51, June 19, 2016
Last editor : HMS
No.166 Sqn RAF Artwork |
  Night of Strong Winds by David Pentland. |
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